Company Profile

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. CRS Ghana was established in 1958, a year after Ghana gained independence. In Ghana, CRS works with local partners to tackle poverty on several fronts including improving health and nutrition; increasing access to safe water and improved sanitation; promoting agriculture to enhance food security; and increasing financial assets through Savings and Internal Lending Communities. 

Job Description

• Department: Programming
• Job Title:  PROMISE Specialist
• Location: Gambaga/Kumbungu District  
• Band/Grade:  Band D 
• Reports to:  PROMISE Coordinator 

Position Description
The Hope to Harvest CRS Global Agency Strategy (2014 -2018) emphasizes health as one of three signature program areas (SPAs), with agricultural livelihoods and emergency response.  These sectors reflect where CRS will focus human and material resources to reach more vulnerable people with evidence-based, participatory, equitable, efficient and holistic interventions.  

Between 2011 – 2015, CRS Ghana in collaboration with Ghana Health Services implemented a USAID funding to implement The Encouraging Positive Practices for Improving Child Survival Project (EPPICS) under the Innovations category.   EPPICS was designed to couple facility based health services with innovative community strategies to close gaps in service provision at the community/household levels. Though EPPICS has contributed to improved key maternal and child outcomes, its strategies are inadequately documented to inform CRS agency-wide learning agenda and aid scale up to other geographies.

Purpose
CRS seeks to retain the services and support of a Project Specialist who will coordinate the implementation of the PROMISE Project activities on the field in collaboration with partners and consultants. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Support to EPPICS Documentation Team

• Support the EPPICS documentation team to identify and work with all the relevant Community based Agents including Link Providers, Zonal Coordinators, Healthy Mothers and Newborn Care Committees and the Council of Champions among others
• Conduct all community entry and partner notifications/appointments processes to facilitate smooth conduct of interviews and data/information gathering as may be deemed appropriate my the EPPICS documentation team
• Support to ensure appropriate logistics including follow-ups for bookings on accommodation for documentation team among others
• Identify and recommend for engagement, appropriate local base data collectors and interpreters who will be needed by the documentation team to facilitate their work

Implementation of PROMISE Activities

From the year two of the PROMISE Project, the PROMISE team will shift their focus from documentation and testing to replication of the strategies to entirely new district (Kumbungu). In this case the field officer will be required to perform the under listed duties:

• work with the sub-district health staff and PROMISE communities to identify and recruit community based agents for the PROMISE Project
• Using a pre-determine criteria, collaborate with Ghana Health Service for the selection of health facilities and communities to benefit from the PROMISE Intervention 
• Facilitate the mobilization and sensitization of communities on the PROMISE Project activities
• In collaboration with the sub-district staff map out and familiarize with catchment area (number of villages, ethnic makeup, languages spoken, relationship between villages, geography of area, road conditions etc.)
• In collaboration with the PROMISE Coordinator and the MEAL Specialist produce a detailed mapping on demographics in operational villages
• Work with the sub-district staff and community health volunteers to identify Positive Deviance Mothers, C-PreS facilitators and Link Providers (TBAs) as well to promote participation and involvement in PROMISE Project activities at the community levels
• Facilitate the formation and a functioning of a vibrant Council of Champions in within assign communities in a sub-district
• Support community members to construct, manage and update the Giant Community Scoreboards
• With support of Link Providers, C-PreS Leaders, keep track of pregnant women in each community and to facilitate their active participation in project activities
• Facilitate and support assign communities to maintain community birth plans for each pregnant woman
• Support  the identification of all active TBAs and facilitate their orientation as Link Providers
• Establish functioning Community Based Healthy Mothers and Newborn Care Committees in each community.
• Conduct/facilitate periodic maternal and Child Survival Campaigns and sensitization activities at the sub-district and community level 
• Participate in conducting baselines, monthly data collection and evaluations of the PROMISE Project.
• Empower community leaders to liaise directly with the sub-district health staff and to demand for key MCH services.
• Lead monitoring and evaluation activities at the sub-district and community levels.
• Provide monthly coaching to community based agents (CHVs, LPs, CoCs and PD mothers) working directly on the project.
• Monitor deliveries at the community and health facilities within the assigned sub-districts.
• Submit monthly reports to PROMISE Coordinator.
• Collaborate with other NGOs and CBOs working on maternal and child survival in the assigned sub-district, as needed.

Required Skills or Experience

• Master of Science/Public Health Degree in Rural Nursing, Community Nutrition, Community Development and Education. 
• At least five years relevant experience in similar capacity.
• Demonstrated experience in leading and building capacity of teams.
• Sound report writing, interpersonal, facilitation, and communication skills.
• Willingness to live in rural target community.
• Good communication skill in the language(s) spoken in the East Mamprusi.
• Possess a valid driver’s license and experienced in riding an AG Yamaha 100 motorcycle

Desired skills

• Prior experience working for an NGO.
• At least three years relevant experience.
• Experience working with DHMT.
• Community or Primary Health Care background.

Agency-Wide Competencies

• Upholds a Spirit of Service and Integrity
• Cultivates Constructive and Collegial Relationships
• Models Principled Stewardship
• Promotes continuous learning and innovation